Paulson came out of retirement in October 2007 to headline the first HDNET MMA fight card. Paulson took on Jeff Ford in the main event of the night. Paulson made quick work of Ford, winning by spinning arm bar in the opening minutes of the first round.

Paulson holds the rank of Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from Rigan Machado. He also trained extensively with Rorion, Royce, and Rickson Gracie. Erik trained Shoot wrestling under Yori Nakamura. Erik is the founder of Combat Submission Wrestling, and STX Kickboxing. Paulson is the coauthor of a book along with American Combat Association president Matthew Granahan and JD Dwyer on the History of American Submission Wrestling.[3]

Paulson was the striking coach for Team Lesnar on The Ultimate Fighter: Season 13.

Paulson also has a younger brother, Leif Paulson, who is an up-and-coming grappler in his own right.